Once Upon a Dream
by xoKrystalMox
Summary: Merlin had waited for Arthur's return for more than a thousand years-while getting used to the 21st century. That means, he also had a job-and then lost it. While searching for a job, he landed as a housekeeper for a rich man, who doesn't want to see the housekeeper when he's around. Problem? The rich man was none other than Arthur Pendragon-and he doesn't remember Merlin.


**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

 **Warning: This is Merlin/Arthur slash. Don't like, don't read. Period.**

 **A/N: Hey guys~! Ahaha, well, the reason for this story was well, I was trying to continue for the other Merlin/Arthur fan fic when this idea popped into my head. So, I decided to just write it down because well, why not? It's just a short story and probably even a bit rushed at some parts, but I hope you guys like it~ I always wanted to write a reincarnation fan fic where Merlin waited for a thousand years or more for Arthur-and ta-da! It's the oldest prompt in the book but then again, cliches are not that all bad. ;D**

 **Hope you guys like it! Until we meet again~! -Krystal**

* * *

 **Once Upon A Dream**

* * *

It was simple really.

Merlin's life officially sucked.

He glared at the red note. He glared it so hard he hoped whatever magic that he had in him would burn the red note into flames. But it was futile because the reality was as it was. He needed to pay this month's rent or he had to move out. And he had no idea where to move out in the first place since he rarely had friends here.

Slash that, he didn't have friends.

How could he? Merlin sighed before he dragged one hand down his face. It had been years, more than a thousand years to be exact since he had last seen his friends or family. It had been more than a thousand years since he had last touched the floor of a castle, since he had last tasted the homemade soup Gaius would make him during winter, it had been more than a thousand years since—

Since he last seen Arthur.

That was why he was still living. Truth to be told, he didn't think he would be immortal—or at least he wouldn't age until he was reunited with Arthur again. He still remembered Arthur's death, the way he felt limp in his arms until this day. Nightmares bugged him about it sometimes but as the years went by, the darkness slowly merged into loneliness.

Truth to be told, Merlin had been in love with Arthur before Gwen came along. The blond-haired man was someone that Merlin had learned to trust from within and even though he didn't get a chance to tell Arthur about his magic, he knew at the very end that Arthur had some idea about it—especially before he died.

Gwen had died before Arthur and the King was alone—obsessed on tracking down Morgana and finishing her off once and for all. At the end, the epic battle ended with both dead. Merlin had wanted to scream and shout, anything to have him back alive.

But Arthur left him to Avalon.

Merlin later found out that as much as he wanted to, he couldn't die. He needed to wait for Arthur, for the day he would rise back from the lake and be with him once more. Or—when he was reincarnated for short. And so, Merlin waited. He waited and waited and _waited_ —

But he never met Arthur and he was slowly losing hope that he would ever meet the man.

Now, he was dealing with this.

He stared at the red envelope once more.

Life in the future was hard. It was also easy. It was— _alright_. There was justice and law and rulers who actually— _well_ —Merlin couldn't judge but he lived fine without war, so he guessed they were reasonable. But nothing compared to when he was at Camelot. Life in Camelot was easy going. True, there were times when Merlin feared for his own life but overall, it was a beautiful life.

Life in the future was merely about reaching to the top, trying to change the world and exerting power and dominance on a smaller, weaker population. But there were some good times, like the revolution of technology and the expansion of research and discoveries. It made humankind much more than they were during his time.

But still, there were no signs of Arthur.

He was starting to give up. Maybe he would never meet Arthur. Maybe, the legend was wrong, that Arthur would never return. That made the agony of being immortal even more unbearable. He had wanted to see Arthur again, even if it was just a glimpse.

He sighed as he removed those dark thoughts from his mind. He needed money now for his rent, and for that, he should put this as his first priority.

He had worked in a small company before this. But somehow, economy had taken them by surprise and Merlin lost his job. Now, he needed another source of living. Because, really, living in London costed a lot and he was still as poor as he was when he was at Camelot. Period. So, he got up from his chair and walked to the front door. He would need to find a job. Maybe he could look for one in one of the job agencies.

* * *

"Merlin—Emrys?" the woman with pointed glasses and a frown on her face asked as she looked up from her computer. Merlin sat in front of her and nodded meekly. He had found a job agency just not far from where he stayed. These agencies were someone who would fix a job for him or offer a job position based on his qualifications.

It sounded like it would help him since he didn't think he had the time to search for job vacancies from the newspaper.

Merlin had saved up money throughout the time before he used the money to study for business (Merlin thought, why not?) in London University. But now that he had lost his job and every other opportunity seemed a bit off, Merlin had to resign to this lady for an offer in any job.

He would take anything by now.

He just needed money by the end of this month so he could pay the rent.

"It seems, with only a degree, it's a bit hard to slot you in," she said dryly, as if she wasn't interested. "Many businessmen nowadays, you know the drill."

Merlin licked his lips nervously. "Anything would do, honestly. I could do any job, even if it isn't related to my degree."

She raised her eyebrows in what seemed like a mocking manner before she looked back to her screen. "Well, if _that's_ the case," she started. "Then I _might_ have something for you."

"Yes?" Merlin asked as he felt hope bloom in his heart.

"It's actually a well-paid job—for someone to take care of his house and cook him meals," she said as she printed out a paper and handed it over to Merlin. "It's a housekeeper job."

Well—the irony of this.

Merlin had wanted to laugh at her face because—he was a manservant once. He didn't think he would ever do this again, taking care of someone and cook them meals. Really, even if manservants and maids were no longer norms, being a housekeeper was entitled to the same thing even though they practically had the same rights and they were—equal to their employer, no longer masters or mistresses.

The brunet tried to avoid such jobs since it reminded him of the past. He would go nostalgic about every little thing he ever did for Arthur and that would put him back to the feeling of contempt of his fate. But he needed the money and this salary, it was more than enough to cover up his rent and maybe push in a bag of chips (he had come to love them immediately) into his monthly budget. He looked up to the lady and nodded. "Yeah, okay, I'll take it."

She seemed to be surprised that Merlin had agreed so eagerly. "He wants you to cook too, love. And clean the house. It's a penthouse. It's big. You think you can do it?"

Merlin smirked at her. He had enough training with Arthur so he guessed he would be fine. "I think I can do it," he said and she seemed to roll her eyes at him. "When is the interview?"

"There's no interview," she said. "I'll send the credentials and profile to him and he will either accept or decline you."

"Do I need my picture taken?"

"No," she said. "Listen, Mr Emrys. There's only one rule when you're working for him. Don't be there when he's in the house. You're invisible, alright? You go in at eight in the morning, you clean up everything that needs to be cleaned, you cook for him and then by seven, you leave. Before he comes home, you leave."

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows at that. It seemed as if he needed to become this invisible housekeeper. She noticed his apprehension and sighed. But Merlin had done this before. He knew that he needed the job so he just agreed. Whatever, as long as money flowed in, he could do it.

It wasn't illegal.

He would be fine.

He just should've thought to ask who this rich person who wanted an invisible housekeeper was.

* * *

When he first got the address, he looked at the building and tried not to gape wide. This was—obviously—what was he expecting? The person must be rich if he could pay Merlin this much money for just keeping his house clean and cook meals for him, obviously he would be able to afford— _that_. After a few days since he had sent his profile, the lady had contacted him and said that he was hired.

He was given the address and the key code to the penthouse. He stared at the hotel in front of him. He felt so out of place, as if he was back to being just a manservant. He sighed as he shook those feelings off and walked into the five-star hotel.

He walked to the receptionist and let them know that he was the new housekeeper. After they had checked his profile out, they had given him access and he headed to the elevator.

He looked at the number panel once he was inside the elevator and pressed the last floor number. He waited for about a minute or so before the door opened. He was greeted by an empty hallway and straight ahead was just one door.

Merlin guessed that must be it and walked out of the elevator to the door. Once he was there, he spotted the key panel next to the door. Pressing the code in, the red beep light near the handle of the door blinked thrice before it turned green. The door opened and Merlin had to take a step back.

Pushing the door open, his mouth almost fell open when he saw how big the house was. The entire floor was the house itself and Merlin felt like he was in one wing of a castle. He carefully walked in, taking note at how expensive every little thing was. The floor was carpeted red and the walls were wallpapered in something vintage like.

Merlin looked at the front doorstep and realised he had to take his shoes off. Huh. Merlin did so and wore the fluffy home shoes and walked inside. The door behind him closed automatically and the brunet had to stop himself from feeling like he was in another dimension.

As he walked in a bit further, he entered the living room. Immediately, expensive leather sofas caught his eyes and a big HDTV plasma screen was plastered on the wall. There were huge windows acting as one of the walls, showing off the view of London. Furniture here also had a sense of ancient history to them—almost like royalty twang to it.

Merlin took a step back when he realised that next to the windows was a brown desk and on top of it were pictures neatly inside the picture frames. The brunet felt drawn to them immediately and his magic started to bubble from inside. Something about this made him feel—nostalgic. He held his breath as he walked closer to the desk.

His magic seemed to act wild inside of him when he stood in front of the desk. He furrowed his eyebrows when he took a glance of the pictures. Then, one particular picture caught his eyes.

He looked at the picture for a second before he picked it up. As he finally took in the picture, his eyes widened and he almost dropped the photo to the ground in shock. This—was— _what_? Merlin's mind short-circuited when he saw who it was in the picture.

It was undeniably _him_ , smiling into the camera with his pearly white teeth, his shiny blonde hair and the bright familiar blue eyes. Next to him was—was _her_. She had her long wavy jet black hair and mystic green eyes, exactly like how she was before Merlin saw her die.

His heart beat started to pace loudly in his heart. After so many years, after he had waited long enough that must have driven a normal man crazy, he found them. He felt his eyes wetting as he gently placed the picture back on the table and took a shaky breath in. He realised then that he had forgotten how Arthur looked.

At some time, he would wonder if Arthur still had golden hair or maybe his hair was slightly darker in shades. Sometimes, he couldn't remember if Arthur had blue eyes or brown. But now that he looked at the man in the pictures, he realised Arthur was _back_. He had the same arrogant look on his face, he still had that shiny blond hair and blue eyes, and he had Morgana—his step-sister or maybe even blood related sister in this life with him.

Merlin's heart stopped when he realised that he was now working for Arthur—as his _housekeeper_. Merlin had wanted to laugh. This felt so familiar. It was as if destiny decided that they should come back together as how they were before. It was as if he was back to Camelot. He was back to the time when Arthur had begun to act so carefree with Merlin.

The love in his heart started to liven again. He had missed Arthur. The loneliness in his heart would have doubled by now and to see him again after so long just confirmed at how much he had missed the prat. But the question remained. Did Arthur remember him?

He looked around him, just to get a glimpse of anything that would give Merlin a clue that yes, Arthur remembered him. But he couldn't find any of sorts and started to feel the momentary bliss of knowing Arthur was alive and reincarnated die in disappointment that he didn't know who he was in his past life.

He never met Merlin.

He never knew him.

In this lifetime, Merlin was his invisible housekeeper.

It was saddening and disheartening to know of the truth but Merlin shook his head. The reality of it was that Arthur was back and even if Merlin would never see him in person, it was enough to know that he was here now with him in the same time frame. He smiled gently to himself before he took in a deep breath.

"Right," he said to himself. "Let's see if the prat wants me to do anything."

He walked to the kitchen and the first thing he noticed was a note on the refrigerator door. He took the note and rolled his eyes when he saw the list of things he had to do and what food he needed to cook for him before Merlin left.

"Clean the bathroom, change the sheets, sweep the floor, clean the windows, rearrange cutleries, dust the furniture, mop the floor afterwards. Do not touch anything. Do not even breathe on the pile of trophies in the fourth room. Do not go into my bedroom unless to change the sheets and do the laundry. Separate whites and colours, do _not_ waste detergent," Merlin finished reading the list and almost laughed. God, Arthur was _still_ a prat.

At the bottom of the list, he signed his name and Merlin saw how in this lifetime, Arthur was still a Pendragon. He smiled to himself as he gently traced the handwriting and looked around him. Well, he should better start with his work. He found himself actually missing the times when he was Arthur's manservant. Even then he was paid well despite how much work Arthur exerted on him for fun.

He made himself believe that nothing changed and placed the note on the counter. With that, he started his work, first rolling his sleeves to his elbow.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Merlin was proud of himself. It had been a few days since he had been given this job; a housekeeper who had to be invisible all the time, and he guessed he had been doing fine if Arthur never forwarded a complain about him to the agency. He sighed happily when he finished with the chores and had finished cooking.

He placed the food on the dining table and took a step back. He clapped his hands together once in glee that he had once again managed to finish his chores in time. To be honest, Arthur was as demanding as he was when he was a prince slash king. He didn't like it if nothing went his way. He wanted everything his style or not at all. Thankfully, Merlin had known about this after serving Arthur for so long.

He was just a bit unsure of Arthur's taste now.

But from the way he didn't get berated for his work, he guessed he was doing alright. Though, it felt a bit weird. Merlin remembered the times when Arthur would purposely annoy him, tell him that he was doing a bad job at cleaning his armour when really, Merlin had done it just fine. He missed the casual banter between Arthur and him and he definitely missed calling Arthur a prat to his face.

He liked how he could make the prince annoyed easily though there was always humour in his eyes. Maybe that was why he fell for Arthur. It was because the prince trusted him as much as Merlin trusted him and every single second he couldn't tell Arthur about his magic killed him from inside.

Just then, the door bleeped quietly and opened. Merlin's ears picked up on the sound and immediately straightened himself. _What_? He glanced at the wall clock and noted it wasn't six yet. He usually left six on the dot because Arthur came home around seven. All he needed to do was heat the food Merlin cooked for him in the microwave.

Merlin's eyes flashed gold as a spell was ready at the tip of his tongue. Maybe it was a thief or a burglar. But the golden irises turned blue when he realised who it was. The person was loosening his tie and taking off his jacket when his blue eyes caught Merlin's. The brunet's eyes widened when he saw who it was standing in front of him.

The blond hair, the built-shape, the blue eyes, it was him standing in his glory in front of Merlin, who was wearing—a _pink_ apron. Merlin's cheeks reddened at the realisation and looked at the food on the table. Oh no, the one rule to just stay invisible was broken today. Arthur straightened himself as he dropped his hand from his tie and continued to stare at Merlin.

"Huh," he said as Merlin looked at him. He knew Arthur didn't recognise him. The confusion that flooded those blue eyes before an irritated expression covered his face was enough to clue Merlin in that no, Arthur did not recognise him. Something akin to disappointment washed in him once more but he had to remind himself that as long Arthur was alive, it was fine.

Merlin took in how alive and breathing Arthur was. He was wearing a suit and the jacket was halfway down his shoulders in mid-process taking them off. Merlin had to keep his blush in check when he once again realised how good looking Arthur was, even if his hair was mess as if the blond had been running his fingers through them over and over today and his blue eyes seemed to be less shiny from the tiredness.

"You're the housekeeper," he murmured as he took hold of his tie once more and continued on his way of taking his tie off. He then looked away from Merlin and walked past the brunet to his room. The door then slammed closed and Merlin flinched at the signs of bad mood in Arthur. He sighed as he ran his hand down his face. God, this felt weird. His heart leaped out of his chest when he finally saw Arthur again.

But then fear washed in. What if he lost his job because of this? He didn't want to be away from Arthur to be honest. He loved that he could connect to Arthur again after so long waiting for his return. He just wanted to be with him in some way and this was the only way he could without seeking him out in person. But now that he had failed to become invisible, he wondered if this was going to be it.

He bit his bottom lip as he felt the sadness covering every inch of his mind. He didn't want to leave Arthur. He wanted to be here, by his side like he was supposed to, like he used to. He felt his heart wilting at the thought and shook his head. He closed his eyes when he felt the wetness around them. He quickly untied the apron and walked to the kitchen. He placed them on the counter before he ticked the last thing on the list and decided to get out of here.

Just as he was about to walk away from the kitchen, he heard Arthur's room door opening. He froze at the kitchen doorway when he saw the once-King walked in, wearing nothing but a white shirt and a pair of pyjama pants. He looked at Merlin before he leaned against the kitchen doorway and crossed his arms against his chest.

He stared at Merlin for a few seconds and at the few moments, the brunet felt like he was being inspected. How was he supposed to act with him? "Uhm," Merlin started before he glanced at Arthur and pointed to the doorway. "I'm leaving now."

"Hm," he said. "You were supposed to leave before I got here."

Merlin flinched at the cold tone. He only ever heard Arthur using that tone when Merlin hurt him from inside. But this—coldness—was uncalled for. "I know, but it's not six yet and usually you aren't back by now and I—"

"So, I'm at fault for you being here?" he questioned and raised his eyebrows. Merlin furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Arthur in the eyes. For a moment, he almost backlashed at the blond as if he had done this a million times before. But he held his tongue when he kept on reminding himself that no, Arthur did not know him.

When Arthur did not know someone, he never was nice.

But Merlin never liked to keep himself safe. "Yes," he said. Arthur raised his eyebrows higher before he straightened himself and dropped his hands to his sides.

"Why are you still here?" he asked Merlin. The brunet blinked a few times before he pointed to the doorway.

"You're blocking it," he said. Arthur's eyes narrowed but there was something like amusement in those orbs. Merlin had to refrain himself from grinning widely at the familiarity of this. "So, I, uh," Merlin started as he inched closer to doorway. "Go." Just as he was about to move past Arthur, the blond took Merlin's wrist and halted him.

The brunet's heart almost leaped out of his chest and reddened at the warmth circling his wrist. He looked down to his wrist before he looked back at Arthur. The blond-haired man looked at Merlin back and there was something like a frown marking on those pale pink lips. "Uhm," Merlin started. Before he could say anything else, Arthur let him go.

"Go," he said and waved Merlin off. "Don't repeat this mistake again."

Merlin looked away from Arthur and nodded. With that, he walked past Arthur and headed to the front door. Once the door closed behind him, Merlin had to take in a deep breath and leaned against it. His heart was beating fast in his chest and his mind was whirling around. For a moment there, he thought Arthur was going to do something to him. He didn't know what though, so he didn't let his mind wander far. But it still shocked him to see Arthur today. Their easy going conversation that they used to have seemed to have killed itself right after Arthur died more than a thousand years ago.

 _Obviously_ , his mind chided him darkly. He felt his cheeks sustaining the redness and the tips of his ears felt hot. He ran his shaking fingers through his hair as the image of Arthur burned in his mind. God, it had been so long and the loneliness crashed into him like a thousand prickling needles in him.

He had missed Arthur so dearly and to see him again after so _so so_ long made his heart quiver.

He chuckled dryly to himself as he pushed himself off from the door and walked to the elevator. But Arthur would never look at him more than his housekeeper, maybe not even his friend either observing at how Arthur had acted back there.

He felt—disheartened at that thought. He was glad Arthur was alive and he was happy that he had gotten to see Arthur again—after so long. But it still felt very crushing to know that nothing more would happen.

Merlin felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Arthur's voice ringing through his ears again. His voice was the same, the deep yet light voice he had. It was exactly how he sounded when he was still alive. It made Arthur special.

Everything about Arthur was special and Merlin was lucky to be one of those people who got to see him at his glory and his downfall. Not even Gwen got that close. He shook his head as he walked into the elevator once the doors opened.

He hadn't realised he had tears running down his cheeks.

* * *

Suddenly, Merlin found himself actually stumbling into Arthur more than he wanted to. Arthur came home earlier than he guessed and at first, Arthur would stare at him at the doorway, as if wondering if he should leave and come back a bit later, but then he would go about his day as if Merlin didn't exist. The brunet found himself getting slightly confused. He was sure he was about to get fired because he was here when Arthur came home.

But after the second time turned into the third time, and the third time turned into the fourth time, Merlin realised that Arthur didn't say anything to warrant Merlin to stop working for him. The brunet didn't want to ask about it either. Sometimes, he would catch Arthur staring at him and when Merlin looked back, he would see the fondness in those blue eyes as if Arthur— _knew_ who he was.

Merlin felt hopeful, of course he did but then he had to push away those thoughts because if Arthur knew about him, wouldn't he had said something? And yet, Arthur was around him more often than not, as if that was where he belonged, as if he knew Merlin was supposed to be there next to him.

As days flew by, Merlin found out what Arthur worked as. The blond-haired man worked as a lawyer for Pendragon Law Firm and he was also currently holding the position as the CEO of that firm.

Merlin almost snorted when he knew about Arthur's work (he accidentally saw Arthur's business card in his room when he was cleaning the sheets) because _obviously_ Arthur would be an important person in this lifetime too. It would comical if he was anything less. Sometimes, he itched to near Arthur when he was working at the living room. He wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice again.

He never heard him speak to Merlin directly ever since that first time.

But Merlin never dared to start a conversation with him, instead he did what was listed and cooked for him. Merlin didn't know why he was no longer an invisible housekeeper but it seemed like Arthur wanted it like that.

"Eat with me," Arthur said one day once he sat on his chair and dragged it near to the table. Merlin froze, mid-way placing the last plate of food on the table. He immediately looked at Arthur and licked his lips nervously. His heart started to pound against his chest and he wondered briefly if he was dreaming. Arthur looked at Merlin, his blue eyes were piercing through his soul. "Did you hear me?"

The sarcasm was in his tone and Merlin had to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. "But I—I don't want to disturb you—"

" _Merlin_ ," Arthur said and that stopped Merlin from babbling. His ears rang when he heard Arthur calling his name. It was a gentle call, as if beckoning Merlin to listen to him. It shook something in Merlin and the brunet had to stop himself from looking away. "Sit down and eat with me. I can't finish all of this on my own."

Merlin hesitated for a few seconds before he sat down in front of Arthur. Then, he began to plate his food before Arthur did the same for himself. Silence washed in between them as Merlin cautiously started to eat. Arthur however ate quietly and didn't bother with Merlin in front of him. A sudden spike of irritation zapped through Merlin at the thought he was being forced to eat and yet ignored at the same time.

But he would be lying if he said he didn't miss this.

"So, uh," Merlin started, catching Arthur's attention after a few minutes of silence passed. "A lawyer, huh?"

Arthur seemed to have grown quieter at that and his hands stilled. Merlin had to gulp, wondering if he made a mistake saying that. After a second, Arthur sighed and relaxed his shoulders before he nodded. "Yeah," he said. "My father used to own the law firm. I took over after his death."

That wasn't a surprise. He wondered if Uther was still as cold as how he was during Camelot but he didn't ask that. "Ah," he said. Another fleeting moment of silence washed in before Arthur shifted in his seat.

"You," Arthur started. "Have always wanted to work as a housekeeper?"

Merlin couldn't help but to chuckle. "Well, I had a business degree," Merlin said with a shrug. "Got sacked because of the company going bankrupt. Not much to say just you pay well, so I thought it was an easy job to do."

"Easy?" Arthur asked. "I doubt I'm anything but easy when you work with me."

"Ah, but I work _for_ you," Merlin shot back with a grin. Arthur seemed to have taken aback at his easy attitude and Merlin berated himself not to shock the blond-haired man even more. His grin dimmed at the edges before he cleared his throat and his cheeks reddened. He looked away from Arthur and said, "Well, it's fine. I do things well."

"Hardly," Arthur scoffed and Merlin immediately looked up at the familiarity. "You could practically be the _worst_ housekeeper in the world."

Merlin felt his heart panging with the words. They sounded so familiar and at that instance, Merlin cursed whatever it was that had erased Arthur's memories of them. He wanted Arthur to remember, more than anything. His grip on the fork tightened as he gave Arthur a mock smile. "Then why do you keep me around, _sire_?"

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could take them back and Arthur went deadly still. His eyes pierced Merlin's once more. Silence, awkward and tense silence washed in before Arthur placed down the fork on the plate and said—

"I don't know. I don't know, Merlin. Why _do_ I keep you around?"

* * *

After that day, Arthur didn't come home early anymore. Merlin felt a slosh of regret in his heart but he couldn't find it in himself to actually care. To be honest, he missed Arthur's presence once more. Even if it wasn't the Arthur who remembered Merlin as he was, it was still Arthur and Merlin still loved him.

He touched his chest as he leaned against the kitchen counter. It had been three days since then. He felt like he had ruined whatever it was between them. Arthur just started to seem comfortable enough to be around Merlin and now—because of his careless words, Arthur no longer came around.

Just then, the door to the house opened and Merlin's heart leaped. Maybe it was Arthur. The brunet had actually hoped that Arthur would come around since Merlin purposely stayed back even after six. He wanted to talk to him. If there was some kind of misunderstanding between them, Merlin wants to resolve it.

He didn't want Arthur to grow quiet and weird around him. He liked the Arthur who was himself that day. It was so familiar and it soothed Merlin from inside that the Arthur he once knew and fell in love with was still in there somewhere.

Merlin walked out of the kitchen and headed to the living room, though he stopped dead on his tracks when he saw Arthur wasn't alone. There was a woman with him, with slightly dark-coloured skin and curly black hair, smiling at whatever Arthur had said to her.

With a few steps in, she turned around and looked at Merlin and that was when Merlin realised who it was.

It was _Gwen_.

Arthur stood next to her and looked at Merlin as well, though his eyes were slightly wide as if he hadn't been expecting Merlin to be here at this hour. Everything in Merlin stopped, every coherent thought flew out of his mind and what he felt at the moment came tumbling into his heart like a wrecking ball. The brunet felt—angered for some reason. He knew it then that maybe it was Arthur's destiny to end up with Gwen again.

He thought that maybe, in this universe, he could at least have Arthur to himself, even if it sounded selfish to his own ears. He had waited more than a thousand years for him and now—he was watching how Gwen took him away once more. He never hated Gwen but the ache was there, shallow jealousy took over him when he realised that he would never be as close to him like how she was.

"Merlin," Arthur said. Gwen raised her eyebrows though a gentle smile worked on her lips. Arthur looked at Merlin for a few seconds, as if he wanted to explain this situation. His eyes were wide and frantic, maybe even slightly panicked. He licked is lips and was about to say something but Merlin couldn't look at the scene anymore. So, he simply nodded and sighed. "I—"

"I'm leaving now. Food's on the table."

Before Arthur could say anything else, he left them both standing there. Merlin, if anything to say more accurately, ran out of there as fast as he could, heading to the elevator and then running out of the building like he was on fire once the doors opened. And in some way, he _was_ on fire.

His heart was on fire and he wanted something to cool it down.

But he knew that the only way he could get rid of the flames was if Arthur himself touched him.

And that was never going to happen.

Not even now.

* * *

Merlin went back to the house the next morning. He wasn't surprised that the house was empty when he got there. So, like usual, he walked to kitchen and found the list of things he needed to work on. His mind dulled when he walked to the bedroom. He didn't want to see their aftermath but he had no choice, so he did what he had to do. His mind was so occupied at the thoughts of what Arthur and Gwen might have been doing yesterday that he failed to realise that the sheets were clean and seemed to be only slept in by one person.

He felt his heart constricting tightly at the notion that he would never be able to really have Arthur. At least back then in Camelot, he could still see Arthur every day, he could be himself to him even when he was married to Gwen but now, it felt so different and distant. Merlin decided he hated this and maybe, working here was possibly one of the worst ideas in all history.

He tried his best to avoid meeting Arthur. Every day, he came in an hour late just to make sure Arthur had left to his work and made sure to clean the house and cooked for him all before five. Then, he would take his leave before Arthur even came back home. It was a great plan. It worked perfectly too and for the past one week, Merlin hadn't even seen Arthur.

His heart trembled sadly at the thought of not being able to see Arthur though. He knew that he shouldn't be avoiding Arthur like this. It would send out the wrong signals to the man, and most probably maybe the right ones if Arthur still had his memories.

But he didn't so Merlin shouldn't do this to him.

However, he found himself not caring nonetheless, not anymore. For the first time in forever, he felt like he had been reduced to a pile of nothing. He was aching inside for Arthur and he knew that he would never get him, no matter how long he waited for him. His magic felt weird in his body as it recognised Arthur but he withdrew himself from the prospect of it all.

It wasn't worth it.

However, his plan didn't go on smoothly forever. Right next day, he went to the kitchen counter to find two pages of things he needed to do and almost ten dishes of food he had to cook. Merlin stared at the list indecorously and cursed the blond-haired prat. What the _hell_ was this?

Merlin knew he wouldn't be able to finish all of this up before six. Heck, this was going to take him all night! Merlin ran his fingers through his hair frustrated and decided that maybe he could use his magic to finish some of the simpler chores up. With that, he set to work.

Hours passed by and before he knew it, the front door was beeping open and Merlin hadn't even gone through half of the list yet. He immediately stopped any magic from flowing through and cursed himself for this. Arthur's footsteps increased before they stopped at the doorway to the kitchen. Merlin avoided looking at him before he continued on working as if he didn't know Arthur was back.

"Merlin," Arthur started. Merlin momentarily stopped mopping the floor before he looked at Arthur. "You're still here."

The brunet frowned at him. All of a sudden, a zap of irritation flooded through him. He had been here since nine in the morning and he didn't even have anything to eat because he wanted to finish these chores up first. Now the prat was standing in front of him as if he didn't know why Merlin was here. _Damn him_ , Merlin's mind said darkly.

He was tired, exhausted and he just wanted to go home.

"Are you seriously asking that?" he snapped. "You gave me two freaking pages, Arthur! It's going to take me more than one day to finish this off! And who—who eats this much of food anyway?"

Arthur remained quiet before his blue eyes twinkled in amusement and a smirk made on his lips. "Then finish them off so I can give you more, _Merlin_ ," he announced. The brunet stared at the blond-haired man unamused before he looked away and started moping again. Silence washed in before he heard Arthur sigh.

"Merlin—"

"I'm trying to finish your list of chores," Merlin said cutting him off.

"I did that on purpose," Arthur said. "You don't have to do them."

"Hah!" Merlin said as he sighed and looked at Arthur. He saw how serious the blond-haired man looked and wondered briefly what was going on. "What?"

"I—You avoided me the whole week," he said slowly as his voice dropped at the end. Merlin immediately flickered his gaze away and stared at the floor. His heart started to thump loudly against his chest when the image of Arthur and Gwen washed into his mind again. "Merlin."

"I wasn't avoiding you," Merlin said. "That was the original rule, wasn't it? To be an invisible housekeeper."

"You know you can't be invisible even if your life depended on it, Merlin," Arthur mocked and Merlin had to steel himself from feeling like maybe— _maybe_ Arthur knew who Merlin was. But that was impossible. His eyes reddened and watered at the possibility.

"How would you know?" Merlin asked. "You only met me."

Arthur took a few steps forward before he pried the mop from Merlin's hands. Then, he felt those fingers touching his cheek before nudging him to look at Arthur. Merlin's eyes widened when he saw how close Arthur was to him, as if he wanted to take away his personal space. Arthur's smirk morphed into a knowing grin. "You were the worst manservant in the world. I think it's safe to say you're the worst housekeeper in the world too."

Merlin realised then that Arthur _remembered_. "Arthur," Merlin whispered as his eyes watered even more. He raised his shaky hands and gently placed them over Arthur's face. He felt a sob wrecking in his throat at the thought that Arthur remembered. "Arthur—you— _remembered_?"

"Thank God, Merlin," Arthur said with relief before he wrapped his arms around Merlin and dragged him into a hug. Merlin went still in his embrace for a few seconds before he chuckled wetly and hugged the once-King back. "God, when I first saw you that day, that night—I got my memories back and I started to ask myself if you remembered me. I—thank God, it's you, Merlin."

"Prat," Merlin whispered under his breath. "Is that why you came home early every day? You wanted to see me?" Merlin didn't want to hope that Arthur wanted to see him. Even if it was all to confirm if Merlin could remember him. "I can't forget you, Arthur. I—I didn't say anything because you didn't—" Merlin stopped for a second. "You didn't remember me."

The embrace tightened and Arthur buried his face in Merlin's neck, inhaling him. "I'm so sorry, Merlin. I—I remember you now, idiot. How can I forget such a clumsy idiot like you?" Merlin had to chuckle. He missed this. He missed this easy going conversation. He hugged him tighter as if Arthur was his source of air. And in some way it was. He never wanted to let go of this prat again.

But then, everything steeled and hit him hard when he remembered Gwen. He immediately placed his hands on Arthur's shoulders and pushed him off. The blond-haired man complied but confusion blared on his face. "Gwen—what about—her?"

Arthur licked his lips before he said, "Ah, Guinevere. She—remembers. Morgana does too though strangely she isn't exactly evil this time around."

"But Gwen—"

Arthur gently placed both of his palms on Merlin's cheek and caressed them. "Merlin, she's married to Lancelot."

Merlin's eyes widened at the words. "Lancelot?"

"Yeah," Arthur said with a soft smile. "Yeah, she's with Lancelot."

Merlin still didn't feel happy with that answer. He sighed as Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you—did you want her? That night, you brought her here and I—"

"Nothing happened," Arthur said. "I didn't like her that way, Merlin. I—Strangely, I loved her back then but, I didn't this time. I just needed to give some documents to her. I don't want her, Merlin."

Merlin bit his bottom lip. Hope bloomed in him at the words and relief washed in. "Then—do you have someone you want?"

Arthur went still for a second as he looked at Merlin in the eyes. "I had my eyes on someone—long _long_ time ago, but that person was too idiotic and oblivious to realise it."

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows but he had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he knew who Arthur was talking about. Arthur noticed the confusion before he chuckled. "It's you, stupid."

A few seconds ticked off before Merlin's eyes widened. Arthur—liked him? "Prat," Merlin whispered as his eyes welled up with tears and touched Arthur's hands with his own. "I waited more than a thousand years for you. I—waited and waited and waited but you never came and when I do get to see you, you don't seem to remember me and then I saw you with Gwen—I loved you for so long and I just felt like it wasn't _fair_ —"

"You _loved_ me?" Arthur asked, immediately cutting Merlin off. The brunet clasped his lips tight before he looked away, his cheeks reddened. "Merlin, no, look at me."

"I did," Merlin said under his breath as he looked at Arthur. "And I still am in love with you. I never told you back then because—you loved Gwen. I didn't have a chance and you're this King and I'm just your manservant."

"Merlin," he said softly before he took a step forward. "If only you told me sooner. I—I always felt love for you, Merlin. I just couldn't afford to show them, not back then, not because we're different but because—I—I was afraid to lose you. You had magic, Merlin. That was one secret you never told me and I had to—I _waited_."

Merlin felt himself quaking. That realisation took him off guard as he looked at Arthur. "You," he started. "You knew about my magic?"

"Stupid," Arthur said with a soft chuckle. "I must be blind not to."

"But you didn't say anything—"

"I was waiting for you to say something first. But you never did and I assumed you never trusted me enough to—so how could I say I loved you if you never seemed to show signs you trusted me enough to love me back?" Merlin felt the shame wash in him as he shook his head and gripped on Arthur's hands tight.

"I trusted you with my life and I still do. I'm so sorry, Arthur. I meant to tell you, I wanted to tell you every single second but—I was scared you wouldn't understand," Merlin said seriously. "I love you, Arthur. And—and if you didn't understand that I was born with magic, not practiced it, you—you would—"

"I would execute you?" Arthur asked though a frown marked on his lips. "Merlin, you should know that I would never do that to you. I—I would've been angry at you, maybe felt betrayed but I wouldn't—"

"I know but I didn't know then," Merlin said as he sighed shakily. "I was—I was scared."

Silence washed in before Arthur huffed and said, "If you really trusted me, you wouldn't have to be scared." Merlin closed his eyes at the words. Shame and guilt took over him.

"I'm so sorry," Merlin said under his breath. His heart started to feel like someone almost ripped the edges off. His hope dimmed. Maybe this wasn't going to work well after all. Arthur gripped on his face, forcing Merlin to open his eyes and look at him.

"I forgave you a long time ago, Merlin," he said slowly as a smile worked on his lips. "I loved you too long to be angry at you." Merlin's breath hitched as he heard the words. His eyes widened and he felt like he was being wrapped in cotton candy. He felt—light.

"Arthur—"

"I think you waited too long for me, Merlin," Arthur said as he caressed Merlin's cheeks. "And I don't want to stand back and wait for you to make the move anymore." The brunet's cheeks reddened before he licked his lips, suddenly his throat felt dry. Did Arthur mean what he clearly said?

Arthur noticed his doubt before he smiled and leaned in close. Merlin immediately tried to back out at the sudden close distance. Before Merlin could protest, Arthur had silenced him with his lips on his. Merlin immediately keened into the kiss and closed his eyes. It was a small kiss but it promised everything that was never said between them.

Merlin felt the tears escaping his eyes as he broke the kiss and opened his eyes. Arthur then opened his own eyes and smiled. "Do you still have your magic?"

"Ah…yeah," Merlin said timidly. "Uhm—"

"Show me," Arthur said. "Show it to me. I want to know everything about you from now on."

"I—Arthur, if you're sure—"

"I'm sure," Arthur said slowly. "I'm not going to wait for something to happen anymore. Did you know why I chose Gwen at the end? Because she was genuine enough to show her true self to me. Before her, Merlin, I thought you were—an idiot, stupid, funny looking—"

"Well, that made me feel special," Merlin deadpanned.

"But amusing and friendly and honest about yourself type of person," Arthur continued with a smirk. Merlin felt his cheeks reddened at the words. His heart beat increased slightly and he thought that he was about to drop down on his knees, just faint from all these things Arthur was doing to him at the moment. "I didn't want to believe it at first, but then I trusted you with my life. But you didn't tell me about your magic and I felt— _betrayed_ , and Gwen was there when I needed her—she—but when I died, when I watched your face as I died, I realised it never really mattered, Merlin. You kept proving to me over and over that you're mine as much as I should've been— _yours_."

" _Arthur_ ," Merlin whispered gently. "You can be mine now."

"No more secrets, Merlin," he said under his breath as he looked into Merlin's eyes seriously. "Promise me, no more secrets."

"Never," Merlin said as he licked his lips and smiled. "Never, Arthur. I will never keep anymore secrets from you. _Ever_."

"Good," Arthur said before he leaned in close again. "I'm never letting you go."

With that, he kissed Merlin again, this time, it was fuelled with passion and the thoughts of forever. Merlin closed his eyes and kissed him back. His heart gently boomed and bloomed with hope and dreams of them being together. He never thought he would be reunited with Arthur again, and for Arthur to have felt the same way—it was the best dream that ever came true.

He gasped out loud as he broke the kiss. He leaned his forehead against Arthur's and took in a deep breath.

"I'm all yours."

* * *

"He was the _last_ to remember," Morgana said as she leaned against the sofa. Merlin still eyed her apprehensively. The seer simply looked at Merlin and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Merlin. I killed Arthur _once_ —I think I achieved my goal."

"You wanted the throne, Morgana," Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You killed a lot of people in your wake."

"And I felt really bad," Morgana said as she sighed and frowned. "I didn't remember until I was sixteen, Merlin. I—I didn't know that my hatred for Uther was that strong. I—hated him still when I got my memories back because let me tell you—that old man didn't change. _At all_. But—he never got his memories back, you know? And I had no kingdom to steal. Arthur didn't remember either so I decided to just let it all go."

"I only remembered after seeing Merlin," Arthur said as he sat down next to Merlin and handed his sister a bottle of mineral water. It had been two months since Arthur and Merlin had gotten together and slowly, one by one of his friends from Camelot started to appear in his life. All of them remembered of their past and yet, it didn't change who they were now.

It was as if—whatever it was, it was done, it was in the past. Lancelot chuckled as he sat next to Gwen. "We're glad you're here with us, Merlin," Lancelot said after a beat. Merlin felt Arthur wrapping his arm around Merlin's shoulder and tugging him close.

"I'm glad you're here too," Arthur whispered to his ear and Merlin ended up chuckling.

He felt like the loneliness in him finally drowned to the background. They were still others he hadn't met yet, maybe he wouldn't meet them in this lifetime but for now, he felt complete. He glanced at Morgana and simply sighed though he knew that if she had wanted to murder Arthur, she would've done that by now.

Besides, this was the Morgana he knew before she was consumed with hate. She looked remorseful of what she did and the past hatred vanished. She had nightmares enough to punish her for it, so Merlin didn't grudge on her. She loved Arthur, and this time, Merlin could see the genuine feeling beaming through her words.

Every time she was with Arthur, she was with care—not hate or anger. Merlin slowly began to trust her again and he realised then that Morgana really did change. He hoped she would stay this way. He missed this Morgana, the one who stood by his side as his friend.

"Yeah," Merlin said after a while. "I'm glad I'm here too." Gwen smiled widely at him. Guinevere changed too. Her love for Lancelot lived through the years, even when Lancelot died at Camelot. Merlin now knew that if Lancelot still lived at that time, she would have chosen him over Arthur. Merlin knew she never regretted marrying the King, but her true love was Lancelot.

And now, she was not going to let the same mistake rule her life twice. Merlin was secretly glad that Lancelot got the woman he loved as well. They were doing everything they couldn't do when they were at Camelot. Merlin couldn't help but to feel like everything was alright now.

That this was how it ought to be.

Yes, this was how it ought to be.

He glanced at Arthur and smiled warmly at him. He felt the love in his heart beaming brightly when Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin even tighter.

 _I'm never letting you go_ , Arthur had whispered that night over and over into his ear.

 _I'm not going anywhere_ , Merlin had replied.

"I'm never going to be anywhere else without you," Merlin whispered under his breath, loud enough for Arthur to hear. The blond-haired man looked down on Merlin before he grinned widely and chuckled.

"You better, or I'll hunt you down and lock you up," he said confidently. Merlin simply rolled his eyes at the caveman attitude.

" _Prat_."

He felt a pinch on his shoulder.

" _Girl_."

Yes, this was how it ought to be. Destiny could be a bitch sometimes, but after so long, he had learned that sometimes, to get the best things in life, he just had to be patient and wait.

And if one day he had to wait for Arthur again—he would do it so gladly, knowing that now, Arthur would always come back to him.

Truth to be told, Merlin would go back to him too.

Because they were both the same sides of the coin, one without the other would be incomplete. That was what Merlin had felt for so many years and so did Arthur. Now, they were one—and they were never going to be separated again.

For that, Merlin felt his magic agreeing happily in him.

It seemed Destiny agreed too.

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
